Course design and delivery

How to design in-person, hybrid and online courses that maximise student engagement, inclusion and learning. Here, you can find advice on instructional design including lesson planning, creation and organisation of educational materials and effective use of digital technologies; as well as teaching methods and styles to help you achieve specific learning outcomes.

laptop with images representing e-learning, blended learning

Tips for teachers who are new to blended learning

Blended learning is not going away, so where do educators start when they want to create a blended course? In this video, Carl Sherwood shares tips for best practice

Carl Sherwood, John Raiti

The University of Queensland

Encourage students to turn on their cameras

Cameras on: how to overcome a key challenge in digital courses

Promoting a good relationship between teachers and students is crucial in digital courses. Gabriela Espínola Carballo shares tips for encouraging virtual presence in your courses

Gabriela Espínola Carballo

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Four Asian students on a bench looking at a laptop

Design a student-centred curriculum for dynamic learning

Student-centred learning design promotes engagement, critical thinking and problem-solving, which leads to enhanced real-world skills. M. C. Zhang and Aliana Leong share their strategies

M. C. Zhang, Aliana Leong

Macau University of Science and Technology

A female lecturer addressing a class of students

Introduce coaching principles into your work in four easy steps

Coaching is a popular tool for personal and professional development. Rushana Khusainova discusses how it can be used in higher education

Rushana Khusainova

The University of Bristol

In image showing two model businessmen following arrows on a page

Don’t forget the history when teaching business cases

David Waller explains why and how to give case studies a historical context to deepen students’ understanding of why certain decisions are made

David Waller

University of Technology Sydney

Man doing a back bend while looking at laptop

Making space for innovation: a higher education challenge

Risk, chance and disruption can be paths to innovative teaching practice. Here, Michelle Prawer offers ways to bring more flexibility into the classroom

Michelle Prawer

Victoria University

Three creative ways to use ChatGPT in class

New AI tools such as ChatGPT increase educators’ capabilities, freeing us from fact-gathering to focus on more sophisticated problems and higher-level understanding, writes Esteve Almirall

Esteve Almirall

Esade

illustration of laptop with speech bubbles oral examinations

Can online oral exams prevent cheating?

Online checking tools often flag non-suspicious behaviour along with suspected academic misconduct. Here, educators share lessons learned from using an online oral exam to check students’ understanding

Temesgen Kifle, Anthony Jacobs

The University of Queensland

Students comparing notes and work in pairs

ChatGPT as a teaching tool, not a cheating tool

How to use ChatGPT as a tool to spur students’ inner feedback and thus aid their learning and skills development

Jennifer Rose

The University of Manchester

Questions beyond majors: developing mental maturity in students

When undergraduates build their own course plan, reading list and thesis project, the benefits extend beyond the individual student’s mindset to teaching faculty, write Ryan Derby-Talbot and Marjorie Wonham

Ryan Derby-Talbot, Marjorie Wonham

Deep Springs College, Quest University

A woman walking blindfolded along a tightrope

Teaching the unknown: how to prepare students for uncertainty

Five steps that educators can take to teach students to cope with uncertainty and respond effectively to unforeseen events

Glenn-Egil Torgersen

University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)

Neuroeducation can help students learn better at university

Five ways to use neuroeducation to improve student learning

Understanding what happens in the brain when it learns can help teachers plan their lessons, attitudes and words for maximum learning impact

José Alberto Herrera Bernal

Monterrey Institute of Technology

A robot assistant carrying a pile of books

ChatGPT and learning design: what online content creation opportunities does it offer?

A guide to how ChatGPT and other AI writers can be used to help learning designers and faculty create course content more efficiently

Dawn Gilmore, Anitra Nottingham, Marcelo Zerwes

RMIT University

Tips from university students on filming videos to keep them engaged

Tips from students on how to film videos that keep them engaged

A discussion thread on making videos became Keith Pressey’s most successful post in 13 years of teaching – here he shares the key takeaways from the exercise

Keith Pressey

Colorado State University Global

Tips on boosting academic integrity at university

Strengthening academic integrity requires action from students and teachers alike

Eunice Costilla Cruz offers recommendations for promoting academic integrity in your students and how to deal with an offence

Eunice Costilla Cruz

Monterrey Institute of Technology

A student watching a recorded lecture online

Asynchronous pedagogy to improve student engagement

A guide to designing asynchronous learning materials and activities that boost student engagement

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

Young woman and older man adult students lifelong learning

Challenges and opportunities of the 60-year curriculum

Lifelong learning for a post-digital-transformation, post-Covid world will need a degree of intention, design and flexibility universities do not yet offer, writes Jeff Grabill

Jeffrey Grabill

University of Leeds

Take care over sharing: guiding student teams on collaboration

Effective teamwork requires shared understanding, goals and responsibility over a task. Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng explains how to guide students in working collectively

Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng

Singapore Institute of Technology

Everything you always wanted to know about open-book exams – but were afraid to ask

Creatively constructed open-book assessments are increasingly relevant. Preeti Aghalayam offers advice on how to design them for best effect

Preeti Aghalayam

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Illustration of people assembling large jigsaw pieces

Are block teaching and universal design for learning compatible?

On the face of it, comparing the block teaching planning format with the UDL framework might seem like weighing apples against oranges. In fact, they share six golden links, as Kevin Merry explains

Kevin L. Merry

De Montfort University

Using ChatGPT to plug the gap in student attainment and the awarding gap

How to use ChatGPT to help close the awarding gap

Academics must put their fears of AI aside and understand how it can be employed to bridge attainment gaps in their programmes, say Dean Fido and Craig Harper

Dean Fido, Craig Harper

University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University

Spreading academic integrity starts at the root of the problem

When promoting academic integrity, start at the root of the problem

Ethical behaviour can be promoted by raising awareness of what constitutes bad practice, enforcing harsh penalties and placing cheating in a wider context

Victor Markus

Near East University

Forms of assessment and how to use them in university classes

Formative, summative or diagnostic assessment? A guide

An introduction to three of the key forms of assessment along with how they can be applied in the classroom

Alejandra Govea Garza, Adriana González Nava , Paulo Mendoza Rivera

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Image of a person hidden behind a large question mark

My teacher’s a robot: beating negative perceptions when teaching online

Students on online courses complain of a lack of interaction, motivation and familiarity with teachers, research shows. Wendy Cowan looks at how to build ‘instructor presence’ into online courses

Wendy Cowan

Athens State University

Blocks in the air with a yellow one in the middle

New views on the block: schedule or philosophy?

Colorado College founded its Block Plan in the heady, revolutionary late 1960s. What can a look back over 50 years teach us about the future of compressed and modular modes of curriculum delivery?

Steven Hayward

Colorado College

Using ChatGPT in your university classes and lectures right now

So, you want to use ChatGPT in the classroom?

If you’re unsure about ChatGPT but would like to start incorporating it in your classes, Ben Swift outlines methods and things to think about

Ben Swift

Australian National University

Cheating at university and how to stop it

Five tips for creating cheat-proof classes

Claudia Danelia Chamorro Urroz has implemented five simple practices into her teaching that have all but eradicated cheating. Here, she shares the secrets of her success

Claudia Danelia Chamorro Urroz

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Inter-faculty working brings students together

Building the future: the case for inter-faculty learning

Launching an innovative inter-faculty way of working has brought great benefit to students, especially in the post-Covid period, say Gemma Ahearne and Matt Murphy

Gemma Ahearne, Matt Murphy

University of Liverpool

How to shift the power dynamic between lecturer and students

Calling all authoritarians: how to shift the power dynamic in your classes

Using the empowerment framework helps build shared purpose, meaning and respect between professors and students, leading to reciprocal growth and learning

Catherine Whaley, Jon McNaughtan

Texas Tech University

We cannot lose touch with touch

Classroom delivery is evolving alongside new technologies such as VR and the metaverse, yet students are still excited by the touch and feel of things. Here are suggestions for instructors to bring the tactile back to teaching

Aravind Reghunathan

Bournemouth University

The history versus fiction debate revisited (again) thanks to ‘The Crown’

In the wake of the notorious television series it feels more crucial than ever that faculty reiterate to students the difference between historical fact and fiction

Farish A. Noor  

University of Malaya

ChatGPT has arrived – and nothing has changed

ChatGPT may make it a little easier for students to cheat, but the best ways of thwarting cheating have never been focused on policing and enforcement, says Danny Oppenheimer

Danny Oppenheimer

Carnegie Mellon University

The basics of building engagement and motivation for learning online

The fundamentals of effective course development and communication when teaching predominantly online, shared by Hasti Abbasi

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

Illustration of people doing different activities with cogs and ladders

A teaching-research nexus to guide your course development

Three steps to create a map of a university programme’s teaching-research integration, in order to identify weaknesses and strengths and inform course development

Nikolas Dietis

University of Cyprus

Full circle: using the cycle of teaching, module design and research

How research, module design and classroom delivery in creative fields inform one another in circular and essential practices. Glenn Fosbraey shares his own teaching as a case study

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

Arts-based methods to foster participatory and interactive learning

Arts-based methods in university teaching centre individual human values and relationships as key contributors in learning. Anne Pässilä and Allan Owens offer advice on how this can be achieved

Anne Pässilä, Allan Owens

Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology LUT, University of Chester

Matching technology training to industry needs: a case study

Professional development courses, especially in rapidly developing technologies, must evolve to meet industry needs. Here, Daniel Garrote explains how his institution created a master’s in the Internet of Things

Daniel Garrote

Nuclio Digital School

Female student looking distracted from her work

Compassionate teaching for students with ADHD

Small but considered adaptations to teaching can support students with ADHD to succeed at university. Fiona S. Baker lists modifications that can make all the difference

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

How to decolonise initial teacher education: start with yourself

Decolonisation has the potential to rattle higher education’s sandstones and ivory towers, yet many struggle to know where to start. Karen Lambert and lisahunter use the context of initial teacher education in Australia to explain that it starts with you

Karen Lambert, lisahunter

Monash University

Image of a light blub with a professors hat on

What higher education can learn from school and further education teaching

As universities strive to improve teaching, they should look to schools and further education colleges for lessons in effective pedagogy and student engagement, write Russ Woodward, Tim Veal and Nicola Pattinson

Russell Woodward, Tim Veal, Nicola Pattinson

University Centre, Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

Get started with virtual reality for learning and teaching

Free, accessible resources are readily available for educators who want to add virtual reality to their teaching tools. Start small, be realistic and persist, says Siân Shaw

Siân Shaw

Anglia Ruskin University

Matching students with college programmes improves employability

In the rush to meet labour market needs, universities can’t forget the human element

Understanding that students are people first, with lived experiences that influence their choice of college and career, will help position graduates for success

Steven Johnson

National University

What AI-generated lesson plans might mean for educators

Educators can use the issues, challenges and opportunities brought by artificial intelligence to think about teaching in terms of design and process rather than outcomes

Nick Kelly, Kelli McGraw

Queensland University of Technology

Community projects for students can help with critical thinking

How community projects can promote students’ critical thinking skills

Embedding project-based learning and participatory research in degree courses can provide students with the critical-thinking skills that employers require

Tom Dobson

York St John University

Advice on teaching across different modes

The pros and cons of different teaching modes

The benefits and challenges associated with four key modes of instruction, on-campus, blended, hybrid and fully digital, alongside a framework for ‘e-tivities’, presented by Gilly Salmon

Gilly Salmon

Education Alchemists

Teach and talk: encouraging student dialogue in class

Dialogic validation is about making students aware of the value their ideas bring to the classroom. Roehl Sybing discusses three simple principles that teachers can adopt to get students talking

Roehl Sybing

Doshisha University

Hacking their hack: how embracing online summaries revolutionised my classes

With students struggling to focus on and comprehend assignments, summaries can take some of the leg work out of learning and allow students to come to class ready to connect

Catherine Ross

University of Texas at Tyler

Five key elements that drive student online engagement

A framework that links social, cognitive, emotional, collaborative and behavioural motivators can help educators promote student engagement

Jay Cohen, Alice Brown, Petrea Redmond

La Trobe University, The University of Southern Queensland

Helping students to reference external ideas

Tips for designing activities that tackle cheating in digital environments

Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán provides suggestions on how to help students who struggle with recognising the use of external ideas

Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Bringing confusion into class can actually benefit students

Confusion diffusion: nine ways to prepare students to work with uncertainty

Jenny Moffett explores classroom techniques to help students meet the demands of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

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